Mamdani’s Temple Visits: A Mayoral Candidate Reconnects with Hindu Heritage During Diwali Season

On a crisp October afternoon in the heart of Queens, where the air smells of incense and street vendors sell garlands of marigolds for the approaching Diwali festival, Zohran Mamdani stood before a crowd of over a hundred priests and devotees at the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir and spoke about home.

Not the political home he’s seeking as New York City’s next mayor, but the cultural and spiritual home his mother’s family gave him—a Hindu heritage that taught him about Raksha Bandhan, Holi, and Diwali, and the values that now guide his campaign to become the first Indian-American mayor in the city’s history. “To be here with you is so special to me because when I meet the members of this mandir, I hear the names of my own family.”

The visits—which also included prayers at the Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam, better known as the Ganesh Temple in Flushing—mark a significant moment in Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, one month before New Yorkers head to the polls on November 4 to choose between the state assembly member, independent candidate and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

A Son of Two Worlds

Mamdani’s identity has been central to his campaign from the start. The 36-year-old Democratic Socialist is the son of two remarkable parents: his mother is Mira Nair, the renowned Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind “Salaam Bombay!” and “Monsoon Wedding,” and his father is Mahmood Mamdani, a distinguished Ugandan academic. Raised Muslim but deeply influenced by his mother’s Hindu heritage, Mamdani represents the kind of multicultural bridge that New York City both embodies and celebrates.

“The stories… and practices of Diwali, Holi, and Raksha Bandhan taught me many of the values I hold so dear today,” Mamdani told reporters during his Ganesh Temple visit, according to India West. “My mother’s family is Hindu. Even while being Muslim myself, I grew up with a deep understanding of what Hinduism means.”

At the BAPS temple, addressing a festive crowd during the lead-up to Diwali—the Hindu festival of lights celebrated on October 20 this year—Mamdani emphasized the historic nature of his candidacy.

Diwali Season in Queens

The timing of Mamdani’s temple visits coincided with the beginning of Diwali preparations across New York City, particularly in Queens, which is home to hundreds of thousands of Indian immigrants and has become the epicenter of South Asian culture in the city. According to VisitNYC, New York is home to over 700,000 South Asians and hosts North America’s largest Diwali events.

The Ganesh Temple in Flushing, one of the city’s oldest Hindu temples, was preparing for its multi-day Diwali celebrations scheduled for October 18-20, followed by the Annakut (Govardhan) feast on October 21, according to HinduTone. The BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, with its distinctive architecture and active community, serves as another cornerstone of Hindu religious life in the city.

“To be here and to meet with so many in the Hindu community who have been showcasing what seva looks like for so many decades oftentimes without recognition—I am proud I would be the first Indian American mayor of this city, and I am proud that my mother’s family is Hindu,” Mamdani told reporters outside the Ganesh Temple.

“I know I’m running to be Mayor of New York City, 8.5 million people many of whom might feel differently than me about Mr. Modi.”

A Campaign Built on Community

The temple visits were organized by Hindus4Zohran, an affinity group that campaigns for Mamdani’s mayoral bid and works to spread his message among Hindu voters. The group was co-founded by activists including Sunita Vishwanath, the founder of Hindus for Human Rights, to mobilize Hindu New Yorkers in support of Mamdani’s candidacy.

“We felt Hindus needed to mobilise to protect Zohran and his campaign against increasingly hateful attacks from Hindutva organizations and spokespeople,” Vishwanath told The Wire. The group aims to “disprove the notion that Hindu New York” is monolithic in its political allegiances.

While the temple visits emphasized cultural connection, Mamdani’s core campaign message remained focused on his signature issue: housing affordability. At the BAPS temple, he tied his identity to his policy platform in a way that resonated with the immigrant experience.

“I am proud to be running to be a mayor who will ensure that Hindu children in this city can celebrate Diwali and when they go home to their families, their families do not have to worry about whether they can afford to live in that same home next day,” Mamdani promised.

Mamdani also emphasized his record on making Diwali more visible in New York’s public life. According to The Wire, he co-sponsored legislation with Council Member Jenifer Rajkumar that led to Diwali being declared a public school holiday in New York City in 2023—a landmark achievement for the Hindu community.

A Contested Reception

The temple visits have not been without controversy. Mamdani has faced criticism from some quarters of the Hindu community for past statements, including his condemnation of the 2024 opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and his statement that he would not welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi to New York as mayor.

Mamdani has defended his positions, arguing that his criticism was directed at the politicization of religion rather than at Hinduism itself. “For Gujaratis, Punjabis, for Indians across the city and the world, I would not be here were it not for the family that raised me and the ideals they taught me,” he said. “Those are values that make me proud to be an Indian-American.”

“I know I’m running to be Mayor of New York City, 8.5 million people many of whom might feel differently than me about Mr. Modi,” Mamdani said at a Diwali celebration at the Trimurti Bhavan Mandir in Ozone Park.

When asked about Andrew Cuomo receiving support from a group of Indian Americans, Mamdani told The Wire: “Andrew Cuomo has a politics of division, and he will find others who want to participate in that same politics, no matter where they’re from. But what New Yorkers are here for is a new kind of politics.”

An Election with Desi Flavor

News Mobile reported that Mamdani is also a practicing Muslim who has visited several Gurdwaras and Masjids throughout his campaign, particularly in South Asian-majority neighborhoods like Midwood, Kensington, Parkchester, and Richmond Hill. However, according to The Wire, this was the first time the Mamdani campaign “rang the bells of a major Indian Hindu temple” since his primary win.

Yashica Dutt, writing for The Wire, described following Mamdani into the Ganesh Temple as a Dalit woman who had never set foot inside a temple in New York during her 11 years in the city. The visit, she wrote, was marked by “the characteristic frenzy that has since become a trademark of his visits in South Asian spaces.”

Throughout his temple visits, Mamdani emphasized themes of service (seva), inclusivity, and the pluralistic vision that has defined both his family’s values and his political career.

“I grew up with a keen understanding, whilst myself being a Muslim, what Hinduism means—the stories, the traditions, the faith, the practices,” Mamdani told reporters, according to News Mobile. “I am proud that I would be the first Indian-American mayor of this city. I am proud of the fact that my mother’s family is Hindu.”

He concluded with a broader message to the Indian diaspora: “For Gujaratis, Punjabis, and for Indians across the city and the world, there is only one message. I would not have been here, were it not the family that raised me and the family that taught me the values, the ideals that I hold. Those are values and ideals that make me proud to be an Indian-American.”

Images: Facebook. This story was aggregated by AI from several news reports and edited by American Kahani’s News Desk.